Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It

Book Facts

Ratings (5 is a must read - 1 is low interest in reading)

Readability: 4

Maintains Attention: 3

Applicability of Information: 4

Review

In general, we found James Kouzes and Barry Posner’s book Credibility to be very applicable fortoday’s leader. The book begins by explaining why leadership should be thought of as arelationship. In so doing, leaders work toward identifying what others expect, and from there strive to improve the quality of their relationships. In essence, they become “credible” in the eyes of their constituents. Their credibility is then linked with improving the quality of the leadership and service they provide.

It would seem that the concept of “credibility” would be easily accomplished. After all, doesn’teveryone want to be credible? However, the complexity of life hinders this from being easilyaccomplished. Credibility is not just a trait to be applied to specific situations. It is a lifestyle. AsKouzes and Posner state, “credibility contributes to the hearts, bodies, minds, and souls of leaders.” A leader that is truly credible must continually strive to reflect this in his or her behavior. To accomplish this in the workplace requires leaders to eliminate the barriers between staff members and themselves. These relationships of trust and mutual respect are paramount in ensuring organizational success. Leaders who lead with “credibility” foster not just their own success, but promote traits in others which help them succeed as well. (It should be noted that success in this context goes beyond monetary rewards. According to Kouzes and Posner, “success is leaving the area a better place than when you found it.”)

In chapter two, instructions are given to the reader to reflect on the various qualities of effectiveleadership that they have experienced. The reader is also introduced to six disciplines of credibility: discover yourself, appreciate constituent, affirm shared values, develop capacity, serve a purpose, and sustain hope. From these disciplines, chapters three through eight serve as a guide for readers to discover and explore these traits from a personal perspective, as well as relate them to those they serve.

The final chapter acknowledges the fact that struggles are imminent when trying to achievecredibility. Caution must be given when balancing the freedoms and constraints of constituents.Considerations must also be given for conflicting leadership styles. Kouzes and Pozner identifysome of these considerations and close by offering suggestions for setting goals to achieve a new beginning in leadership.

It should be noted that throughout the book, Kouzes and Pozner substantiate the information ofCredibility with data obtained from various case studies.

Summary of Main Points

According to Kouzes and Pozner, leaders must first explore the six disciplines of credibility:discover yourself, appreciate constituent, affirm shared values, develop capacity, serve a purpose, and sustain hope. Leaders must also realize that credibility is a lifestyle, not just a trait applied to specific situations. According to Kouzes and Pozner, “leaders must get smart about people” in order to succeed.

As a result of reading Credibility, Kouzes and Pozner believe that leaders will learn:

The qualities that constituents look for and admire in leaders

The foundation of leadership and of all working relationships

The actions you can take to apply the practices to your own leadership initiatives

The struggles leaders face in living up to their constituents’ expectations

The principles and disciplines that strengthen leadership credibility

Call to Action

After reading this book, the following five strategies are a must do for leaders interested indeveloping “Credibility”:

Allow and encourage employees to give feedback and make this action the norm..

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